The Victorian Information Super-Highway

Mention the information super-highway, and we automatically think of the internet. But actually, messages were already being sent back and forth around the world, by wire, as long ago as the Victorian era, thanks to Samuel Morse’s electric telegraph, and the vast network of undersea cables laid down by the British, to connect our far-flung colonies. It was called, appropriately, the ‘All Red Line’ (red being the cartographers’ code for the British Empire).

In this talk, Mario Greening of Cardiff U3A presents a brief history of communications technology, which culminated in the planning, financing, and construction of the cable network by British entrepreneurs and engineers. He also reveals the little-known story of ‘Room 40’ at the Admiralty, where, during WW1, code-breakers intercepted messages sent by the Germans on their network, while protecting the security of our own.

To view the recording, click here… ‘Victorian Information Super-highway’ video

To contact us about the Science & Technology group, click here… Get in touch